TP-link TL-WA830RE test >200m range

Re: TP-link TL-WA830RE test >200m range

Posted: 25 Mar 2013, 10:37

by Melmanc

Yep it 'should' auto descend when it loses connection. However if your at a high altitude then the drone may drift as it wont get an accurate lock on to the ground. Especially if its windy. My 750 metre distance was at around 15 metres altitude plus was obviously in ideal wifi environment conditions.

Re: TP-link TL-WA830RE test >200m range

Posted: 27 Mar 2013, 11:40

by nullomorph

I bought the TL-WA830RE, as even being a noob with the drone I wasn't satisfied with the range I got from the stock drone and iPad. But it's the new version (couldn't find the old one), with the silly look and a 9V power supply. So, here's my question - how do I power the thing in the field? LiPos are either 11.1V or 7.2V, lead acid batteries are 6V or 12V.
I can buy a reasonably priced 1100 mAH 8.2V Li-Ion pack (http://www.modele.sklep.pl/files/fotob/product-8470.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) , or a 650 mAh 8.4V NiMH pack (Walkera). What would work best?

Also, the TL-WA830RE has two detachable 5 dBi omnidirectional antennas. I could get an 8 dBi antenna (with a long cable). Is it worth it? Should I replace both antennas with the 8 dBi ones, or would one be sufficient?

Re: TP-link TL-WA830RE test >200m range

Posted: 27 Mar 2013, 12:56

by DaZa

nullomorph wrote:I bought the TL-WA830RE, as even being a noob with the drone I wasn't satisfied with the range I got from the stock drone and iPad. But it's the new version (couldn't find the old one), with the silly look and a 9V power supply. So, here's my question - how do I power the thing in the field? LiPos are either 11.1V or 7.2V, lead acid batteries are 6V or 12V.
I can buy a reasonably priced 1100 mAH 8.2V Li-Ion pack (http://www.modele.sklep.pl/files/fotob/product-8470.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) , or a 650 mAh 8.4V NiMH pack (Walkera). What would work best?

Also, the TL-WA830RE has two detachable 5 dBi omnidirectional antennas. I could get an 8 dBi antenna (with a long cable). Is it worth it? Should I replace both antennas with the 8 dBi ones, or would one be sufficient?

Actually 3S (11.1v) lipo's have a total pack voltage of 12.6v and can easily be used to power an extender and many do. Just add appropriate wiring (with fuse) and your set. I used a 12v 2amp lead acid to power mine as it was cheap, easy to charge and I didn't need to use a lipo that i could use to fly with instead

Get the 8db stick antennas from tplink or an equivalent don't use the ones on a base with a wire. You will also need 2 not 1.

Re: TP-link TL-WA830RE test >200m range

Posted: 27 Mar 2013, 13:23

by nullomorph

DaZa wrote:
Actually 3S (11.1v) lipo's have a total pack voltage of 12.6v and can easily be used to power an extender and many do.

The new revision of TL-WA830RE runs on 9V, not 12V like the old one everyone in this thread used. The wall wart that came with it is rated for 9V/0.6A output.

Re: TP-link TL-WA830RE test >200m range

Posted: 27 Mar 2013, 14:01

by garrock

nullomorph wrote:The new revision of TL-WA830RE runs on 9V, not 12V like the old one everyone in this thread used. The wall wart that came with it is rated for 9V/0.6A output.

Re: TP-link TL-WA830RE test >200m range

Posted: 27 Mar 2013, 20:10

by PengLord

I use this, seems to do a nice job and doesn't require any custom tweaking, even includes the right cable to power it.http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005NGKR54" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I am however, constantly concerned about rain since the rev2 extender has vents on the top.

Re: TP-link TL-WA830RE test >200m range

Posted: 08 Apr 2013, 12:44

by nullomorph

Finally tested my TL-WA830RE setup. Go a rechargeable powerbank that can do 9V (like this, couldn't find an english page for it), works fine and it seems that a single charge will give me many hours of operation. Also got two 8dBi antennas.
The result is range that is, in technical terms, good enough. Didn't do any proper measurements (I'm considering a GPS data logger as the next mod), but I flew about 150m away at ~30m altitude before I lost video. For a noob pilot that is actually more than it seems, at that distance it's difficult to see if the drone is facing away or towards me, which makes getting back to within FPV range a rather thrilling experience. Without the extender I barely got 30-50m, and had frequent brief drops in signal, now it behaves more predictably and flying feels safer, even though I'm not breaking any records. I believe I'll get more range when I mount the extender on a tripod, having it sit atop the drone box was definitely not optimal for range.
Some more lessons learned:
- I suck at flying, have to practice more
- Flying FPV on a sunny day is hard, difficult to see anything on the iPad screen.
- I need to balance my props, somehow this shows on video more the higher I fly (jello).
I'll test the capabilities of this setup more when I have a chance to fly in a safe environment (a large open space), and after I do maintenance on the props.

Re: TP-link TL-WA830RE test >200m range

Posted: 08 Apr 2013, 17:48

by pbody2013

Sounds great to me. Throw Garrok's Wheel on there and see how that goes.

Re: TP-link TL-WA830RE test >200m range

Posted: 08 Apr 2013, 18:23

by nullomorph

For the moment, I'm happy with the range I'm geting. I have a comfortable zone to play around, without being concerned about going out of range all the time (as it was without the extender). What I get now is already further away than I'm confortable with flying line of sight, and I'm not yet good enough to fly pure FPV. Here's a picture showing the kind of range I got (I'm not posting videos before I get these props right). The red circle shows where I stood next to the extender. In a couple of weeks I'll be spending some time in a rural area, with large empty fields and no other signal sources - I'll get back to testing the limits of my setup then (with a tripod mounted extender).

Re: TP-link TL-WA830RE test >200m range

Posted: 09 Apr 2013, 04:59

by pbody2013

Nice, you have some good distance there. One of the great things about the extender is no work has to be done on the drone, or extra weight added even though it's minor. I a fella wants to keep warranty and isn't up for working on the mother board I can't imagine a better way to go other than the Heli Pad Mod on a Nexus 7.

Re: TP-link TL-WA830RE test >200m range

Posted: 10 Apr 2013, 00:20

by Salival

I get around 150M with this router and no other mods. Just the router on the car roof.

Re: TP-link TL-WA830RE test >200m range

Posted: 10 Apr 2013, 03:24

by pbody2013

That sounds damn good to me, triple the usable distance for a small investment! Thanks.

Re: TP-link TL-WA830RE test >200m range

Posted: 24 Apr 2014, 06:23

by Feranix

Thank you for the setup info DaZa! All set with my extender.
Now I need to await my replacement gear and test my setup. I mounted my wa830re v2 on a 6ft capable tripod along with a variable voltage/amp portable battery.the battery is a discontinued Radio Shack product that I am glad to own previous to needing it for this project. I also have the right connector, which is also a Radio Shack product. I also spent time making a PlayStation 3 controller mount for my phone when controlling my drone. Pictures are below

Re: TP-link TL-WA830RE test >200m range

Posted: 09 May 2014, 03:41

by ARdevil

Hi Guys,

I'm new to the forum.. thought I might get some advice..

I recently bought the AR 2.0, flew it a little and was getting about 30 meters with my Galaxy Note 10.1 and stock setup.. all ok I guess. Did the antenna mod and mounted a 5db antenna on the deck (no hull), of course cutting the track, removing the inductor, etc. UFL connector on the board.. all under a stereo microscope and having a good background in surface mount work I am very confident all is correct. I only had a modest range increase but since I had a WA830RE new in box, I connected the drone (TP-Link with stock 2x5db antennas)... all good, changed SSID so I was sure I was connecting to the extended network.. all still good BUT I am still getting only about 40 meters before video link failure. There is only one other weak wifi network on ch1 here so I am at a loss to figure out why the range is so limited! I have gone through the whole setup with a fine tooth comb and I don't think I can blame the main board as I believe it's range was ok to begin with and there has been an increase.. but I was hoping for at least 100m and I am getting nowhere near that... someone have any ideas??

Cheers

Re: TP-link TL-WA830RE test >200m range

Posted: 09 May 2014, 04:05

by garrock

Have any close up pics of your drone mod? Also the range extender setup?